Foodstuff, pottery and consumption patterns. A reflection about the interactions between Greek, Punics and other western communities in the fifth century BC. (original) (raw)
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in L. BOMBARDIERI, A. D’AGOSTINO, G. GUARDUCCI, V. ORSI, S. VALENTINI (a cura di), SOMA 2012, Identity and Connectivity, Proceeding of 16th Symposium of Mediterranean Archaeology ,Florence, 1-3 Marzo 2012, BAR-International Series 2581, 2013
Fish & Ships. Production and commerce of salted fish products during Antiquity (Rome, EFR-BSR, 18-22 june 2012)., 2014
The far western area of the Mediterranean and its Atlantic extension beyond the legendary Stelai of Hercules were famous in Antiquity among other things for its renowned salted fish products, in addition to the maritime character of many of its cities, the frenetic activity of its ports and its skill in navigating the unexplored ocean. In this area, recent archaeological developments and the emergence of additional pathways of approach (such as Archaeo-zoology, Archaeology of Salt, etc.) have made it possible to overcome outdated debates and integrate data into a single historical discourse that gradually enables a better understanding of the archaic origins of fishing, salt-fish and preserved-fish trade by the western Phoenicians, technologies brought and improved by the first waves of Levantine settlers as well as potter’s wheel or complex kilns, intensive farming, etc. This industrial activity linked to fish processing, pottery production and commerce expanded greatly from 6th/5th centuries BC and established itself as a key of the regional economy, and furthermore as an essential feature of the regional seascape. Although we are sure that many of the Phoenician colonies and Punic cities of this privileged biological environment took part in fishing, canning and the commercial activities to which we refer, most likely the main reference in this field is the one provided by Gadir/Gades (modern Cádiz Bay), whose salted-fish products were repeatedly mentioned by ancient Greek and Latin authors. Moreover, the archaeological evidence now makes possible to characterize not only their salt-fish factories, pottery workshops, salt-works, species caught, etc., but also to approximate the systems of exploitation and marketing of these famous products appreciated in countless homes all around the ancient Mediterranean. The aid of faunal remains (fish bones, scales, etc.) is being useful as well for discussing about the primary goods manufactured, mainly tàrichos (salted fish meat), and maybe variants of gàron (fish sauces) that were made not only from tuna but also from other types of fishes of different sizes. This particular case, on which will focus especially our attention, could also help us to illustrate the complex process by which the traditional Phoenician salt-fish industry evolved during the two centuries preceding the princeps under the control of Rome to adapt, expand and reach levels of development even greater than those achieved in earlier phases. We will undertake this task following diachronic criteria, from its origins to its dissolution in the Roman late-republic, examining issues such as fishing, preserved-fish and fish sauces, pottery production and salt in the western basin of the Mediterranean.
The Transmission of Technical Knowledge in the Production of Ancient Mediterranean Pottery Proceedings of the International Conference at the Austrian Archaeological Institute at Athens 23rd – 25th November 2012
Cooking pottery is a potential key indicator of craft transmissions, social exchanges and interactions in areas of cultural contacts. Pre-Roman South Italy represents an exemplary case study, since the presence of culturally different groups resulted in phenomena of assimilation, integration and adaptation, as well strong resistance and conservatism, which also influenced cuisine and food culture, and thus the pottery repertoire used for cooking and food processing. The aim of this paper is to update the picture of the available knowledge concerning the cooking pots attested in South Italy and Sicily. Relations between Greeks and indigenous groups are characterized by early forms of contacts, even before the establishment of Greek colonies on the coast (late 8th c. B.C.); the presence of cooking pots related to the Greek repertoire were in small quantities and it could be tentatively a clue to new culinary habits in Non-Greek or mixed sites. Only later (i.e. from late 6th c. B.C.) the morphological repertoire of the Greek batterie de cuisine was fully adopted and often produced locally by the different South Italian indigenous communities, although with non-homogenous intensity and by means of various forms of adaptations.
GLOBALISED DIET PATTERNS IN MEDITERRANEAN: THE EVIDENCE OF THE COOKING WARES FROM AQUILEIA
This paper aims to analyse the finds of Cooking ware, discovered during the excavations carried out on the former Cossar property at Aquileia (UD), in order to examine how the quantitative and formal relationship between cooking pottery of local production and the one imported from other Italic or Mediterranean regions has changed between the early Roman period and the late Antiquity. More in details, we will talk about how the reconstruction of the pottery sets used during different time periods has permitted us to draw some consideration in regards of commercial patterns, diet and how this two varies as a result of the changing of globalization and reviving of local tradition phenomenon. The pottery sets during the 1st century BC includes mostly pots of local coarse ware. Alongside them we find, however, pans of both Pompeian red slip ware and Tyrrhenian origin: their presence could testifies the swift acceptance of common Italic diet trends in the Cisalpine area as possible result of the process of Romanization. From the beginning of the 1st century AD and also for the mid Roman times the recipients made in Tyrrhenian coarse ware are gradually being replaced from pots, casseroles and pans imported from the Aegean and North African area; it seems that also the forms produced in local coarse ware are by now part of a koiné that links together different parts of northern Italy. Completely different is, on the other hand, the framework that comes into light during the 4th century AD: during that period when African imports (mostly amphorae and fine wares) are widely present, the arrival of African Cooking ware decreases unexpectedly as well as for the quantitative presence of Aegean cooking, while coarse ware pots of alpine tradition assert their presence, thus probably following a revival of traditional practices of consumption behavior or food preparation techniques more than a reason of economical nature.